Survey Data
Reg No
20804005
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Archaeological, Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
Date
1750 - 1830
Coordinates
183575, 93307
Date Recorded
04/10/2006
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding roofless Church of Ireland church, built c. 1760, and altered c. 1810, built inside ruins of freestanding ruined medieval church. Three-bay nave, single-bay chancel, and porch to west. Roofless, with carved stone eaves course. Flat-topped bellcote to west gable with having round-headed bell opening with red brick surround. Rendered walls having some exposed coursed limestone and sandstone rubble, with coursed rubble stone plinth course, single buttress to west end of north elevation. Pointed arch window openings to nave having tooled limestone hood-mouldings and moulded sills, blocked and rendered, having splayed openings to interior. Red brick relieving arches exposed. Pointed arch window openings to north and south walls of chancel having render surround. Pointed arch window opening with interlaced tracery window to east gable. Pointed arched blocked rendered window opening to south elevation of porch, having render hood-moulding. Pointed arched blocked rendered door opening to west with hood-moulding and approached by semi-circular limestone step. Camber-headed window opening over west opening having red brick voussoirs with paired pointed arch windows, timber surrounds and timber glazing bars. Some rendered walls to interior. Entrance to chancel having carved Dundry stone archivolt supported on Corinthian-style engaged columns. Roofless medieval square-plan tower to east, with coursed limestone rubble walls. Ogee-headed window to clerestory to east having tooled limestone surround. Paired ogee-headed window to north having tooled limestone surround and limestone hood-moulding above. Pointed arch openings to north and south having limestone rubble voussoirs. Set in centre of Castlelyons graveyard, with some ornate grave markers to site. Coursed limestone rubble boundary walls having square-headed window opening and square-headed pedestrian gate opening with wrought-iron gate.
Appraisal
This eighteenth-century church retains a strong sense of its original character coupled with an association with a much older building. The church was built by the Barrymores of Castlelyons who also built a mausoleum in the graveyard. The building retains interesting features such as the tracery window and the bellcote. The carved stone chancel entrance shows signs of skilled stoneworking and may be considered of high artistic merit. The church, although now in ruins, retains its social importance to the community of Castlelyons. Some recent grave markers were noted in the vicinity, with the oldest grave marker dating to 1681.